Friend or Foe? In-House Recruitment vs Recruitment Agencies

Many busy HR professionals will have considered bringing recruitment in-house, considering how their current recruitment processes can be improved. If your business is incurring a high recruitment cost, an in-house recruitment strategy could be well worth considering. However, is going it alone the best method?

Webreruit Ireland works with a variety of organisations, all differing in size and with different recruitment goals. Some may be looking for guidance at the start of their in-house recruitment, whilst others are investing in recruitment software for their business.

Is it really best to go solo when you are bringing recruitment in-house? Webrecruit Ireland explores occasions where a recruitment agency may help you in your processes.

Share the workload

Even the best recruiters that are working in house won’t be able to manage everything. Their focus is to operate the best they can with the right individuals, and delegate what they can’t do to a supplier.

Recruiters will need knowledge and a good skill set in copywriting, candidate communication, screening and search engine optimisation. Identifying strengths as well as weaknesses is also vital for an in-house recruiter, to be able to help with running a smooth recruitment process.

Looking at each element of the process means you can identify which tasks can be shared with a recruiter, such as advertising or CV filtering.

Think about your reach

If you are handling your recruitment solely within your business, this could mean a limited reach. An experienced agency will have a large reach, and with their current talent pool on top, it is clear that a lot can be done through a partnership.

They can also act as an impartial advisor, reaching out discreetly to employees working for your competitors.

Niche knowledge

If your recruitment team are looking to fill a niche position, this may be where a recruitment agency could be of great help.

The likelihood is that they are going to have knowledge and experience of recruiting for such roles. If these roles are becoming more frequent, having them managed by an agency might be the best choice, especially if your in-house recruiters lack in confidence within these areas.

Brand protection

Strengthening the employer brand can be one of the most popular reasons for bringing recruitment in-house. However, consistent and regular communication with candidates can prove a difficult-to-manage task, with the risk of your brand reputation being damaged.

Starting a partnership with a recruitment agency can help this, avoiding you having to take on these time consuming tasks internally.

Agencies could also prevent negativity towards your brand, acting as the mediator for candidate engagement and any difficult offers that need negotiating.

To conclude

Managed recruitment can be that much easier with the help of a recruitment agency and their bespoke solutions. The services offered from different agencies can cover a variety of requirements, from renovating current procedures to making improvements to your internal recruitment operations.

Want to know more about how Webrecruit Ireland can help with your managed recruitment solutions? Request a brochure today.